New stretch of the Riverbank opens for the first time

The one-acre space forms a new piazza directly in front of Circus West Village, the first phase of Battersea Power Station that will open this summer, offering new views of the capital. Before now, it has always been used for industrial purposes and therefore out of bounds to the general public.

The area will start to come alive when Circus West Village’s 23 restaurants, bars, cafés and retailers open later this year. They will transform the piazza into a bustling riverside location, forming a new food quarter for London.

The piazza which has previously been used as land for a warehouse and coal storage will also form part of Power Station Park, the first section of a new six-acre landscaped, public space that will run in front and to either side of the Power Station.

This stretch of the riverbank is now accessible through a new entrance in a former railway arch called Grosvenor Arch, near Chelsea Bridge and Battersea Park. By 2020, when the Power Station opens, for the first time in history, Londoners will be able walk on the south side of the river from Chelsea Bridge all the way to the South Bank on a new ‘riverside walk’ - much of this new path being along the riverbank.

Rob Tincknell, CEO of Battersea Power Station Development Company, said: "As the development continues, on behalf of our shareholders, we are delighted that we are able to open new public spaces for London and are starting to bring the Power Station and its surrounds back into London life. This new stretch of the Thames that is opening has always been off limits.

When Circus West Village’s exciting mix of independent retailers, restaurants and cafésbegin to trade this summer, the riverbank will be brought alive and become a new riverfront neighbourhood for London.”

The Malaysian shareholders of the Battersea Power Station project are committed to give back to the communities in which they operate. They recognise the importance of creating shared value and this is embedded in all of their undertakings to ensure that they contribute towards building a harmonious and caring community.